National Disaster

Legal Aid

Interactive FEMA Appeals Tool

Interactive FEMA Appeals Tool

Your Right to Appeal a FEMA Decision

If you have received a letter from FEMA saying that you are ineligible for disaster relief or that your application is incomplete, you have the right to appeal the decision within 60 days of receiving mailed notification. An appeal is a written request to review your file again with additional information you provide that may affect the decision. Your ability to appeal is time-sensitive. You must fax or postmark your appeal within 60 days of the date of FEMA's decision letter.

About this Interactive FEMA Appeals Program

You can use the interactive interview below to create an appeal letter to FEMA and File Request letter. Your answers to the questions in the interactive interview will be input into a form letter that you can save to your computer and print out for submission to FEMA as an appeal. This is a free and secure service provided by LawHelp Interactive, a program of Pro Bono Net. It is designed for use by people impacted by disasters who cannot afford a lawyer.

Important Information Before You Begin:

This program does not e-file or submit your letters to FEMA. You must mail or fax the letters to FEMA yourself. The address and fax number are listed in the instructions that will print with your documents, and also on our FAQs page.

Ask a lawyer to review your letter, if possible. If you can’t afford to hire an attorney, visit the "Active Disaster Quick Links” section of this website or LawHelp.org to learn about free legal help available for disaster survivors from nonprofit legal aid programs and their partners.

Read our Frequently Asked Questions for an overview of the appeals process and other very important information to help you prepare your appeal.